UNDERCOVER police drugs officers told how they watched three men suspected of dealing in crack cocaine.

They were seen making a number of short visits to a back street behind where they lived, allegedly to make drug deals.

When officers finally raided two flats in a house in Bradford Street, The Haulgh, Bolton, they found crack cocaine, heroin, mobile phones and cash.

The team discovered £18,000 worth of crack cocaine, £3,000 worth of heroin and just under £7,000 in cash.

Money transfer orders for several hundred pounds in false names made out to people in Jamaica were also discovered in the flat.

Kennard McKenzie, aged 32, Raymond Minzie, aged 40, and Barrington Laguerre, aged 40, all of Bradford Street, Bolton, appeared at Bolton Crown Court.

They face two charges alleging conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, crack cocaine and heroin on January 8 this year. All three men deny the charges.

Sergeant Gerard Bradbury told the court he had been part of the observation team who had been watching the flat, along with another officer, on January 8 this year.

When they raided the house, they burst into the first flat and found four men inside. Sgt Bradbury detained and searched a man called Joseph Carter.

Keys he found on Carter fitted the second flat and, inside, he and other officers recovered large sums of cash and some drugs.

Officers suspected large-scale drug dealing in heroin and crack cocaine was being organised from two flats in the house.

(Proceeding)

They watched as two of the men later arrested left the flat on a number of occasions to visit a nearby back street. An alleged drug transaction was also seen to take place in nearby Crawford Avenue.